I believe in me and the players to win trophies, says Mourinho
One-goal deficit against Leipzig only ‘half-time’ Sessegnon could get his chance as Bergwijn out
Jose Mourinho has promised to end Tottenham Hotspur’s trophy drought, even if he cannot produce an unlikely Champions League turnaround against RB Leipzig in Germany tonight.
Trailing by a single goal from the first leg, Tottenham’s task was made even tougher when January signing Steven Bergwijn was ruled out for the rest of the season with a sprained ankle.
Mourinho hinted that Bergwijn’s absence would give 19-year-old Ryan Sessegnon an opportunity, with Dele Alli again expected to play as a makeshift striker.
Elimination from the Champions League would guarantee yet another trophy-less season for Spurs, who have not won anything since lifting the 2008 League Cup, but Mourinho is sure he can change that dismal record.
The Portuguese, who signed a 3½-year contract when he succeeded Mauricio Pochettino in November, said: “I believe Tottenham is not going to be my only club without silverware. I won it [silverware] at every club and I believe I am going to do it also with Tottenham.
“I am here for three or four months. I get the team in a very difficult situation and now even more difficult. But I believe in me, in the players, in the club and I believe that during my contract I will help the club to do it.”
Bergwijn’s injury means he joins Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Moussa Sissoko and Ben Davies, who has not travelled to Germany, on the sidelines.
“Steven, I don’t expect him to play this season,” Mourinho said. “I’ve never had anything like this, but that’s what it is. We were psychologically more down with the other injuries. This one, from three, four or five to six or seven is the same. No problem. We are very confident.
“I’m very motivated, very calm, very positive, but if you want to imagine Leipzig without Werner, Schick, Nkunku, Poulsen, Forsberg, I am pretty sure the coach wouldn’t be laughing as much as I am now.”
Despite the fact he is without a number of key players, and Tottenham have gone three Premier League games without a victory and been eliminated from the FA Cup, Mourinho has not given up on his team qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
“This is one game,” he said. “We are losing 1-0 at half-time. We were losing 1-0 at halftime on Saturday [at Burnley]. It has happened a few times and we have a second half to play. We go with everything we have. How can you score two minimum without Kane, Son, Bergwijn? But there are many ways to score goals. Even a Leipzig player can do what Antonio Rudiger did and score for us [against Chelsea].
“Momentum is negative in this moment in terms of results. We lost
‘I prefer to be in Leipzig’s position, but I believe they will feel the pressure’
and drew and one of the draws ended in defeat on penalties. So momentum is not the best, but the boys deserve something special.
“The group is good, the boys give everything in a very honest way. If we look against Norwich, Wolves, Burnley, I think we fought really hard against all the circumstances and the boys deserve this kind of happiness that a victory in the Champions League can bring. But sometimes in football you don’t get what you deserve.
“Of course, I prefer to be in their position, but I believe they will feel the pressure. They are winning and
we are going to have a go and we have nothing to lose.”
Tottenham were without Kane when they produced a remarkable Champions League comeback to reach last season’s final, but Mourinho was quick to point out that he does not have the same tools available to him as Pochettino had.
“Without [Fernando] Llorente,” Mourinho said. “So if we want the long balls in the box, we can’t do it that way. We have to try in another way. If we are waiting for the last 15-20 minutes to put the ball in the box and try for second balls, that’s not the way to do it. We don’t hide.
Our attacking players are the ones we know. We don’t have others.”
Alli is again expected to play through the middle, with Sessegnon potentially given a chance on the left side of an attacking three.
“Sessegnon must help us,” Mourinho said. “Ryan can give us attacking options. He is basically a winger. We need everybody. Especially without Steven, it’s time for Ryan to get his opportunity to play.”
Alli admitted that playing as a striker did not come naturally to him, but said: “This isn’t a time to get our violins out. We have to step up and deal with these situations.”
‘This is not a time to get our violins out. We have to step up’